Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Harrison Ford's Advice to Oscar Isaac

Plus, the actor talks to us about practical effects, the John Boyega controversy and that new lightsaber.

We still know very little about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, even after the release of that awesome teaser trailer last week. One thing's for certain: at some point, Oscar Isaac flies a freaking X-Wing!

Today, IGN's own Roth Cornet spoke with Isaac for A Most Violent Year (more on that soon!), and while she was there she also talked to him about Star Wars and X-Men: Apocalypse. Here's what he had about his time on the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the importance of practical effects, that lightsaber, and the advice he got from Harrison Ford on flying spaceships...

Early Advice From Han Solo

Some of my prep was getting a little ship and just playing in my room with it.

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Talking about his close-up shot in the teaser -- the one of him in the X-Wing cockpit -- Isaac noted that he's done a bit of flight training prior to shooting. "I did a little bit on a simulator, just for a day," he said, "but ultimately it was more about my imagination. I remember some of my prep was getting a little ship and just playing in my room with it and thinking about the things I used to say when I was doing that."

However, Isaac did get some friendly advice from one of his costars, who he spoke with prior to the start of production. "It's funny, because I spoke to Harrison before [shooting]," he continued. "He was just like, 'Whenever you wanna go up, we'll fly.' I was like, 'That's amazing!' Then, scheduling-wise, we couldn't find the time to do that. Ultimately, he was like, 'Well, you know, it's space. So it's a little different when you're flying in atmosphere.' At the time, I don't think he'd done much flying, way back when he was first Han Solo."

Working with Practical Effects

One thing fans have already noticed about the new Star Wars footage is that it seems to be a good mix of practical and CG effects. Unlike most of the Prequels, say, Episode VII is using real sets and actual props. On this, Isaac confirmed that was an emphasis on physical sets while shooting. "There was just so much love poured into it and so much care," he said. "The thing is, when you rely on the latest technology to tell your story -- and that's it -- that dates. It can date badly. Whereas, when you actually make the stuff, I think there's something about that that is a little bit more ageless."

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"It was totally like living out a childhood dream," he continued. "Being on those sets and being surrounded by those people -- talking to Anthony Daniels, seeing him getting suited up, and Peter Mayhew putting on the suit again -- that was incredible."

When asked if he ever dressed up as a rebel pilot as a kid, like his Awakens character, Isaac remarked, "No... I was a gonk droid. That was my favorite outfit. [Laughs]"

The Film Has That Raw 'Han Solo' Ad Lib Feel

If you watch Harrison Ford in [the originals], he doesn't give a f***, you know?

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Isaac also emphasized that, like the Original Trilogy, The Force Awakens will focus on story and character, rather than spectacle, and capture those human moments amidst the space opera of it all. "If you watch Harrison Ford in [the originals], he doesn't give a f***, you know? [Laughs] He's just being a real person. He's funny. You can even hear little ad-libs and things like that... [It's similar on this film]. There's less of a formality, I think."

"I think the biggest thing, the most important part of the story, is the emotional aspect of it," the actor explained. "I think that's what most of us were keyed into: 'What is the emotion of the thing?' The spectacle is secondary to that."

On the John Boyega/Stormtrooper Controversy

Alas, it's not all fun under the Tatooine suns. Last week, Isaac's costar John Boyega responded to racist remarks about him playing a stormtrooper in Episode VII, and rightly told those folks to "get used to it." Isaac had a similar statement, but pointed out the upside to the recent controversy: "What's great about it is, it's like, 'Are you a racist? Here's a perfect way of revealing that to everyone!' [Laughs] What I loved about the trailer too is, like, the giant middle finger of the first thing you see, right off the bat: John's face -- BAM! So it is, yeah, 'Just deal with it.'"

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Adding, "ultimately, it's not even about race at all. It's about a story, and it's about these characters. [Boyega's] a great actor, and he's so good in this movie. And, you know, why not? But what's great about it too, even more so, is that the huge majority have come out so vocally, the people that are real, true fans in support. [Laughs] They come out and defend it and make themselves heard. They really drowned out that negativity pretty quickly. I think that was really wonderful, to see that."

When asked, Isaac clarified that he hadn't seen any additional footage, but had seen Boyega's work while filming.

That Crossguard Lightsaber Though:

If Darth Vader had one of those, he wouldn't have lost his hand!

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Speaking of controversy, there's been a good bit of debate about the new lightsaber in the trailer, the one with three blades. We here at IGN have made a case for it, but some fans have taken issue with its overall practicality.

As for Isaac, he seems to fall into the "love it" camp. "I think it's amazing," he said.

"It's so cool... If Darth Vader had one of those, he wouldn't have lost his hand!"